Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
When traveling in Yellowstone it's always a good idea to bring along a cooler—that way you can carry some snacks and lunch items for a picnic or break and not have to worry about making it to one of the more developed areas of the park, where all restaurants and cafeterias are managed by two competing companies (Xanterra and Delaware North). Generally you'll find burgers and sandwiches at cafeterias and full meals at restaurants. The entrée selection includes beef and chicken, game meats such as elk and bison, fish like salmon and trout, and there are kids-oriented offerings. At the several delis and general stores you can purchase picnic items, snacks, sandwiches, and desserts like fudge and ice cream. Considering the park's remoteness, the selection and quality are above average, but expect to pay more as well. Reservations are needed for dinner at the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Yellowstone Hotel, and Grant Village dining rooms; during the summer reservations are recommended for all dining rooms.
Although the passable food here isn't the main event, the floor-to-ceiling windows of this waterfront restaurant provide dazzling views of Yellowstone Lake through the thick stand of pines. The pine-beam ceilings, cedar-shake walls, and contemporary decor lend the place a homey feel. Entrée choices at dinner range from pasta and trout to pork carnitas and elk meat loaf. Breakfast is also served.
A wall of windows in the handsome Art Deco–style restaurant overlooks an expanse of green that was once a military parade and drill field. While enjoying breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you might catch a glimpse of elk grazing on the lawn. Montana beef, bison, boar, and trout receive pride of place at dinner, which always includes a few vegetarian entrées. Dinner reservations are not taken in summer, but are essential in winter.
From the wood-and-leather chairs etched with animal figures to the intricate lighting fixtures that resemble snowcapped trees, there's ample Western atmosphere at this relatively intimate dining room inside the Old Faithful Snow Lodge. The huge windows give you a view of the Old Faithful area, and you can sometimes see the famous geyser as it erupts. The French onion soup will warm you up on a chilly afternoon; among the main courses, standouts include pasta with homemade elk-and-bison bolognese sauce, and pecan-cornmeal-crusted Montana trout. It's one of the only full-service park dining options open in winter.
The menu at this atmospheric log cabin in a pine forest includes appropriately rustic options like skirt steak, mesquite-smoked chicken, and blackened ruby red trout, but you'll also find simpler comfort fare, like carnitas nachos and fried green tomatoes. For a real adventure, make a reservation for the Roosevelt Old West Dinner Cookout, which includes a horseback trail ride or a stagecoach ride.
